The history of the hot cross bun is shrouded in mystery, with many conflicting accounts and old wives’ tales telling of how these sweet, spiced buns came to be.
It is thought that they were first baked on Good Friday by a 12th century monk to mark the impending Easter celebrations, but it wasn’t until the 16th century when the hot cross bun was first mentioned in text: “Good Friday comes this month, the old woman runs, with one or two a penny hot cross buns.” Historically, these buns have been thought of as extremely sacred – it was believed that if hung from the kitchen rafters, these buns would stay fresh for a whole year and protect the household from evil spirits.
In fact, these buns were seen to be so sacred that in 1592, Queen Elizabeth I passed a law that hot cross buns could no longer be sold on any day apart from Good Friday or Christmas day. This meant that they could only be baked secretly within the home – bakers had to make sure they weren’t caught as all the illegal buns would all be given away to the poor!
As a bakery, we wanted to pay homage to this delicious and historical little bun in the best (and most French!) way we know how: combine it with the croissant. So to celebrate Easter this year we will be launching our new Hot croissbun; shaped and crossed just like the traditional bun, stuffed full of fluffy, cinnamon pastry layers and served with a side of Nutella.
With Instagram full of the latest croissants from black charcoal, birthday cake and multi coloured varieties, this Easter hybrid has to be next on your list. Pop down to your nearest Aubaine to get your hands on a croissbun (to eat in or out) – they’re heavenly!
x